Predator and Prey
by lindsey981092
Summary: 15 year old Amber Reedfield from two has been training her whole life, not for the Games, but to please the brick wall that is her father. Her Mom ran away when Amber was young, And now to please her Father she will try to enter the games. As a career she is faced with a problem. She is turning into a killer. Can she win the games with her mind still intact? Sequel on the way!
1. Marble Tears

I held up the red shirt, almost thrusting it in my father's face.

"What's wrong with this?"

"The games are coming up. you should be _training_, not shopping." He said in a low voice, turning away.

"Dad." I pleaded, holding the shirt to my side.

"No, Amber!" My father declared loudly, and then promptly walked away to his room.

I plopped down on the bench pushed against the wall of the lavish foyer. I wanted to yell back at him, but it wouldn't end well.

It may sound cliche, but all I've wanted since I was young was for him to be proud of me, or just to show he loved me. It feels as if he doesn't care at all sometimes, but I know that he must, or else he would've dropped me off in an orphanage the same day my mother ran away.

Since that day, I can probably only remember him being proud once- when I was ten.

I quickly sat up straight, re-composing myself. I needed to train- the reaping was tomorrow and with much luck, I'd be the first to volunteer.

So I walked down the hall towards my room, grabbing my knives and target from the floor of my room, and I quickly jogged to the back, avoiding my father.

The grass in our backyard was short and uniform, But I could see weeds poking through the edges of the fence, competing for the soil and nutrients there, safe from the mower.

_Dandelion._

_Stinging Nettles._

_Red Clover._

I had recently started learning edible and poisonous plants.

If I was planning on volunteering for the next Hunger Games, it was a good skill to learn.

Sliding my target on a rusty nail sticking out of the fence, I grabbed the knives from my back pocket.

They almost just_ fell_ into position in my hand. Galen, my trainer in weapons class -and friend- had drilled it rather forcefully in my brain how to hold different knives. These particular ones were unbalanced. He told me that they were stronger than a balanced knife-If I could handle it correctly. I had picked up throwing regular knives almost immediately, but the unbalanced knives were a work in progress.

I pinched the leather with my index and thumb, then locked my eyes on a spot above the bulls-eye. I held it level with my head, then brought my arm down sharply.

_Miss._

"_Urgh._" I grunted, dissatisfied with it. I took out my other knife and aimed, this time, careful not to bring my hand down as wildly.

_Miss._

I aimed higher, and in pure determination, I launched it, spinning beautifully towards the target.

_Thump._

It wasn't exactly a bulls-eye, but it was better than usual, so I accepted

it. I gathered my knives and restarted the process, not stopping until then sun first started to set.


	2. Pride

My father walks towards me, a smile on his face. I try to run to him, to hug him, but my dream self won't budge. She stands there with a frown on her face. All the sudden the surroundings fade and change into a forest. I stand there, glued to the ground with a frown on my face.

A random thought sends adrenaline bursting through my body. Today's the Reaping! I grab my fancy dress, my ONLY dress, a pair of silver heels, and get changed. The flowy lilac chiffon dress ends just below my knees. I go outside to weave a headband out of flowers. I walk to my garden and feel the cool, moist morning air gently swaying the un-mowed grass. I weave in Blue Thimble Flowers, Blue Aster, Baby's Breath, and some straw and grass. I knot the end of the crown and place it on my head, feeling accomplished.

I walk inside and eat my cereal silently while trying to act like I didn't notice my dad. He looks over at me anyway.  
>"You look like your mom" He say's with no emotion. Well, a compliment is a compliment, especially from Dad. Tears come to the corners of my eyes. I quickly brush them away. Normally on a day like this I would be sleeping and dad would be working as a Stonemason, but today is Reaping day. A surge of nausea runs through me. I can't eat, I'm too nervous. I walk to the front porch and dump my cereal into the dog bowl sitting there we leave out for the neighborhood strays. I know these dogs too well. Most of them are mean, so you should get away from them, but Dusty, an older dog, used to be a guard dog and is pretty loyal. Dusty comes padding up to me with his achy arthritic bones and wags his tail.<p>

"Hey Dusty!" I pet the old dog and sit next to him, waiting for my dad to come out. a couple dogs come along, ignoring me, and compete over the dog bowl. I stroke Dusty's black and grey speckled back. I believe he is a Great Dane.

"Amber, time to go." I get up from where I sit to my dad's side and we walk to the reaping silently, Dusty licks my fingers and walks to an old pillow I laid out.

When we're there the peace keeper pricks my finger and fills out all of the information. The throng of eager kids and teens rush along the concrete pathways to get in line and in their roped sections. I join the crowd and find Galen standing a couple feet away from my dad. I rub my arms and focus on a dandelion trying to push through a small crack in the ground below my feet and wait. Half an hour later the Reaping begins. The Mayor, John Julius, gives a (boring) presentation on the Dark Days and why we have the Hunger Games.

Stella, our escort, stands on stage in a purple and black outfit. Her eye shadow is purple on the top, black on the bottom. She has purple lipstick too. She has a purple blouse over a black turtleneck, purple and black striped leggings under a black tutu, and she has black bracelets. She even put in purple contacts. And guess what color her wig is? Shoker. It was purple. People in the Capital are so showy.

"Welcome to the 52nd Hunger games. May the odds be ever in your favor." She spoke in a monotone, unexcited voice.

"Ladies first." Everyone held their breath.

"Kaylie Morgan" the girl proudly takes a step, but at the same time, "I volunteer as tribute!" Rang out from all over. Peacekeepers pulled apart two girls who were in a fight. I beam with pride while other kids glare. I said it first. I stepped forward and walked towards the stage, giving Kaylie an innocent smile. "Oh look, a volunteer." Stella says blandly.  
>"What's your name, child?"<p>

"I'm Amber Reedfield." I looked at my father. He smiled.


	3. Stronger than Stone

The walls were satin, rich, and beautiful. The peacekeepers brought in my father, and he sat down and I started crying, slighty ashamed of it, I hid my face from him. "Amber, I'm so proud of you. You always said you hated these games. That they made you sick, but you toughened up. You are stronger than stone Amber." Stronger than stone. It's too much for me to handle. It's all I've ever wanted, in a way.

"I love you, dad." I hug him. All the emotions from 5 years of being snubbed are swirling in a tornado in my head making me confused on how I really feel. But I do know he's my father, and I love him. The peacekeepers take him out, and I am left alone to cry. For the first time, realization hits me. I could die in the Games. At first it seemed like Two's would always win, but now I see, I'm a human being. I can die. I've never killed anything except for plants to make headbands. How can I kill someone?

I'm interrupted from my thoughts when Kaylie comes in with a murderous look in her eyes.

"Someone looks happy" I mumble. She rolls her eyes.

"Let me make myself clear" I made the mistake of looking down, she noticed and smirked._ Stupid!_ I remembered some of Galen's tips to intimidate people. Something about smirking? And never looking down. Too late for that one now. _Roll your eyes? Yes I think that's right_. I position myself against the smooth satin walls, hold my head high, raise an eyebrow, smirk, and get ready to roll my eyes. It works.

"I know you're trying to be a hero for your dad, but my brother will win."

**Flash back**

_"All right then, now for our boys Joshua-"_

_"I Volunteer!" It's now a race between about ten boys. Jason Morgan, Kaylie's brother, having long legs, easily outruns them. "I-I Volunteer!" He stutters. He was in the back and is currently breathless as he stands on stage. Brutus, Our mentor, claps slowly. He shakes our hands, and then we shake each other's hands. His sea green eyes stare into mine and I blush, mentally scolding myself again. Stupid! We are ushered to the satin rooms in the Justice Building._

Peacekeepers take her out and then my last visitor comes in. "Galen!" I rush into his arms.

"Well, that was brave. I thought you were scared?" he says. I roll my eyes.

"You're telling me?" I sigh.

"I'm still scared Galen." He grabs my hand and looks at me.

"I almost got picked two years ago, for the quarter quell. Remember?" I did remember. Galen is 20 years old, five years older, and my best friend. We grew up together. When I was ten, I had a crush on him. But now, we are close friends. He became a trainer because most of the qualified men are peace keepers. He talks to me about strategy.

"You will be looking for a throwing knife. If you show them your skill, they will put them there." I look down at my feet.

"You can make it to the bloodbath. I know you can." The peace keepers come to take him out.

"I believe in you, Amber!" He calls as he is ushered out. I am left alone in the satin room.

* * *

><p>When I first saw the train, I didn't think it would be this comfy. Right now I'm sitting on the couch eating grapes while Brutus lectures us on how to survive the bloodbath.<p>

"All right. You two managed to volunteer first, but that doesn't mean you'll survive the Hunger Games, let alone the bloodbath. Your best chance is to be a career. They won't be the kind to protect you, but this just means they won't be killing you. Hopefully. So they don't kill you, you have to show them your skills in training. Don't get the highest training score, because that will make you the target. Amber, what's your skill?"

"Knives"

"Throwing or daggers?"

"Throwing knives."

"Good. You?" He directs his attention to Jason.

"Javelin."

"Okay, if you show trainers your skill, you have your weapon." And then we spent the next hour learning about his strategy.

**Okay, Sorry for the short chapters. I got my first review! *jumps up and down* Thank you!**


	4. The Capital

"Dinner time!" Our Goth escort calls.

"Someone's perky." Jason's voice drips with sarcasm. I snort, and then cover my mouth at the sound, horrified. Jason raises his eyebrows and chuckles, revealing perfect, straight, white teeth, brought out by his tan skin tone. We walk to the table in shock at the scent. I can't even place it. In district 2, we are well-fed, but I could become fat of this food. I sit down and pick up my glass of a pink liquid. It tastes like fresh strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry. Flavored water, I am informed. Then, after we finish a salad of greens, peppers, orange, and chicken with citrus vinaigrette, out comes a FULL PIG with an apple in its mouth. I'm pretty sure my eyes popped out. We were each served a large portion, and I happily ate mine, and I was so stuffed. An avox came out with cake and I waved mine away.

"No thank you, I'm full." Across the table Stella offered me a small cup of a clear liquid.

"It helps with the fullness." I down it, and realize what's about to happen.  
>"Bathrooms that way" Brutus points towards it, but I'm already there. I throw up my ham, salad, and water. Great. I rinse my mouth to rid myself of the horrid taste and then walk back to the mahogany table where it seems I was not missed. With my now empty stomach, I down two slices of heavenly red velvet cake. I could so live like this. But, note to self: Don't accept random liquids from people.<p>

* * *

><p>Right now we are being ushered to the 'Remake Center'. We got off the train a while ago. Inside the building Jason and I are introduced to our 'Prep Teams'. My team is consisting of one boy, and two girls. Acacia, Dandelion, and Damari, And Jason has two boys, and one girl. I didn't catch their names, because Dandelion was already leading me out of the room.<p>

In the next room, I was stripped of my clothes, and put in a thin blue hospital gown. I was laid on a table while they hosed me down with a showerhead. They started putting a hot liquid on my legs that instantly solidified. Dandelion, was spouting out gossip while Acacia was nodding, gasping, and shaking her head. Damari, the hair stylist, was silently hosing down my hair. His face was contorted so much it looked like a rat. Dandelion, looking the youngest, had cheery yellow makeup with intense red feathery designs trailing down the left side of her face. Acacia had earthly tones on her face, perfect for her olive skin tone. She had eye shadow trailing across her face towards her hair in the design of ivy. I decided her makeup was better than the other's.

Suddenly, I felt a burn on my legs. Dandelion pulled the strip off my legs leaving them smooth in that place.

"Ow!" She repeated the process all over my body. My skin tingled and burned. Dandelion then proceeded to start plucking my eyebrows.

"Her eyebrows are like baby squirrels!" She said to Acacia.

"Well it's better than Diamond's!" Acacia answered and they both giggled. Diamond. She was in the Games last year. She died early on in the games. I wonder if I'll make it further than her. It annoyed me they were talking about me like I wasn't there.

"I can hear you." The girls stopped giggling and Acacia started cutting, cleaning, filing, buffing, and painting my nails. Dandelion painfully plucked another hair and then stated lathering lotions and perfumes all over me. Damari rinsed soaps out of my hair and brushed it till it was smooth. He started braiding it. I decide to be friendly.

"How long have you been working for district 2 tributes?"

"Past three games, so.." Acacia paused to count. "Fourth year." I liked Acacia because she seemed more real than the others. She wasn't hiding under layers of makeup, she was just wearing it.

"Done with hair" Damari stepped away, admiring his work.

"Done here!" My hands were released by Acacia, and I admired them. They were brick red. They WERE bricks. My nails had brick walls painted on them. I touched them lightly. They even had texture!

"She should be here soon," Dandelion said, while adding one last coat of a thick gloss to my lips.

Sure enough, in comes 'her', my stylist. She liked pink I'm guessing. She had a pink suit on, a pink wig, over the top, pink, 3-D makeup. My eyes hurt. But the red clashed. I focused on the red item. All the sudden it being held out to me

"Try this on!" The overly perky stylist says. "Oh, my name is Vydia! So nice to meet you!" She is the exact opposite of Stella. I hold it out. It's a breathtaking dress. I quickly get changed and am brought a mirror.

The girl looking back is not me. The girl in the mirror has an elegant bun with flowers that looked like they were carved out of brick adorning her head full of blonde hair. Her cuts and gashes from training have disappeared. Her sleeveless dress has the pattern of a brick wall down to her waist. Then, it flares out mermaid style in tulle, mixing red rock dust with grey rock dust. It looks like the dust is falling from the bricks and getting caught in the tulle. I reach down to touch the dust, only to realize it's fabric. I look again at the girl in the mirror. She cannot be me. I am speechless. The only thing I didn't like, was my makeup. Half of my face was painted to look like a brick wall, while the other half had crazy red and grey swirls protruding off my eyelids.

"Do you like it?" Acacia asked.

"I-I'm beautiful I love it!" I stuttered, ignoring my makeup.

I was brought out into the main room again, where I saw Jason. He didn't look as happy as me. He was wearing a Brick red shirt, and the cuffs looked like mini brick walls. His pants were also red. And cuffed at the bottom with the same brick design. He had a red cape that was much like the tulle part of my dress. It also appeared to have dust falling down it. I noticed his token. It was a star sculpted out of marble. When he saw me he broke out in laughter. My face turned red and I turned my back to him.

We were brought to another building and put on chariots. We were instructed to look at the crowd and wave.

"Be charming!" Vydia chirped. And we rode into a ginormous courtyard. In front of us was district 1, In breathtaking silver and gold with all sorts of jewels adorning them. He kissed her on the cheek, but in a brotherly way. It made me wish I had a sibling. I took a glance at Jason, and crowd loved him! He waved, and the girls swooned. I almost rolled my eyes. I smiled and blew kisses at the crowd. Panem better be ready. I am planning on winning.


	5. Training

We were brought back after the chariot ride laughing our heads off at tributes outfits.

"District eight looked like a spool of thread!" I giggled.

"Did you see district 7? Trees? Again? It looked pretty funny on TV, but in real life, It's hilarious!" Jason says. Some of the outfits were pretty. Most weren't. District 3 came out in good looking attire. The girl, Sidney, was wearing a gorgeous black flowy dress with what looked like wires wrapped around it. So we, and Districts 1 and 3 were the only people who were presentable.

"Did you see District 12?" I asked and Jason turned red with laughter. The 12 tributes were completely naked. Just covered in black coal dust. It was horrendous. I snorted again and then face palmed myself. Great. You want to make friends, so you're gonna sound like a dying pig? Smart.

Stella comes in swiftly.  
>"Go to bed." she commands and then quietly leaves. We stare at each other, eyebrows raised. I walk up to my room and and smile. The room is almost completely white, with a gorgeously fluffy mattress. I collapse on it, and drift off to sleep immeaditely.<p>

_I'm in the hunger games, a pitch black arena. My eyes can just make out that someone is approaching me. "You've lasted too long." And then I make out a sword. A sword glinting with light. How? "Who are you?" and then it goes through me. I am in another place. At home, in my dad's office. He's crying while watching the games. The screen was pitch black. I heard a cannon. That must've been me. "Dad!" I say. He can't hear or see me. I crumple up on the floor and cry_.

My pillow is wet and my eyelashes seem heavy. I must been crying from my lucid nightmare. I stand up and walk out of my room to see Jason just leaving his.

"You screamed last night," he stated. I gave him a blank look, so he continued.

"I thought there was a mass murderer in there!" He joked.

"Nightmare." Was all I said.

"What time is it?"

"About midnight."

"Did my scream wake you?"

"Yup."

"Oh, sorry." I say groggily.

"Come on." He says and beckons for me to follow. We walk to the balcony and talk in the fresh air.  
>"What do you think the games will be like this year?" I ask.<br>"I really don't know anything. I haven't even figured out my strategy." Jason admits. "So what was your nightmare about?"

"The games. It was pitch-black and somebody stabbed me with a sword."

"Pleasant." he says in that joking way. I smile.

I wake up to discover we fell asleep on the balcony. My head was in his lap. Horrified, I get up and hope he didn't know I fell asleep on him. I go to my room and change out of my night gown into jeans and a teal halter top. And sit on my bed. Stella walks in and hands me clothes from Vydia.  
>"Wake- Oh you're already up. Well come on. And wear those! Time to go!" I get up and change before walking down to the living room. The clothes were like jumpsuits, and they had 2's written in the fabric. <em>Lovely.<em>

I find everyone eating breakfast. My cheeks burn with embarrassment because the look on Jason's face indicates he knows. I sit down and examine my eggs. Then, I eat them happily.

At 10:00, we are brought down to the basement of our large living quarters for all the tributes. Venus, our instructor goes through a bunch of boring rules. But I only thought on one thing. Today I had to become a career.

I purposely walk by Chloe and Joshua. They were at the throwing knife station. _Yes!_ I mentally cheer pick up a set. They were balanced, but I didn't care. I picked them up, closing my eyes and pretending I was back home. I held it out and threw. I hit the dummy in the heart.

"You have some skill." Chloe said. I noticed she was about the same age as me.

"What else can you do?" Joshua asked.

"Plant identification."

"Then lets go."

At the station it was about timing. A blue box would appear around a leaf and on your key board you would tap the look alike. I aced it.

"What about your partner?" Chloe asked, looking at Jason, who was sword-fighting with a trainer, and doing pretty well.

"Jason? He does javelin. I'm not sure of anything else." So we joined Jason , district 3 tributes, and the female from 4. Joshua did sword, Chloe did camouflage and daggers, Jason did Javelin and throwing spear, Sidney from 3 did Archery, John from 3 did snares and was decent at knots, Lily, from 4, did knots and trident. Some kid from 5 named Aiden joined us who was good at climbing and snares. From the way Chloe looked at him, I guessed he would do dirty work.

Lily helped me with knots but we laughed together at my failed attempts. I walked over to Jason and found him trying to make a fire.  
>"You're doing it wrong, doofus." I say, smiling. He looks up at me with an amused look on his face.<p>

"By all means, then." He stands up and gestures toward the logs.

"Watch, and learn, Jason." I sit down and get to work. I furiously spin the stick in my hand, nothing happens. Jason starts laughing at me.

"Wow, master. I am truly in awe at your awesome and unrivaled skill." He says, shaking his head. I stick my tongue out at him.

"Whatever." Chloe then walks up, joining Jason in laughter.

"Let me try," She said, pushing me off the log. I laugh while I fall on the floor.

"You can try, but it won't work. I am 100% percent sure Jason did something to them." I said, shooting a look at Jason.

"I did not! You, apparently just suck." Jason says, poking me with a stick. I grab it from his hand and snap it in half, then pelt him with twigs while Chloe works on her fire.

"Haha! I did it!" I sit up quickly and brush off the twigs Jason threw at me.

"What! That's not fair!" I say, examaning the small fire that Chloe made. Jason directed a smug look towards me. I pursed my lips and threw a v- shaped stick at him.

"Ow!" One of the peacekeepers watching us eyed me suspiciously. I gave him my sweetest smile.

After our third day of training, we were brought into a room where we were supposed to wait in line to show the gamemakers our skill. Knives would be mine, of course. I waited untill I heard "Amber Reedfield?" I walked in. There were dummies, knives, maces, etc. I grabbed a set of knives and they said, "Proceed" in their weird capital accents. I picked up my knives and they watched intently.

"What is your skill?"

"Throwing knives," I picked three up at once. Please work! With one eloquent flick of my wrist, I sent each knife into a different dummy. I waited. They conversed and then said, "You are excused." And with that, I left.

Later, in the living room we sat, anxious to see our scores.

"Hmmm... I bet Chloe did fire-starting and got a 12, unlike if Amber here did it." Jason laughed at me.

"You're the one talking! You would've gotten a 0! If I had more twigs I would throw them at you, you know."

"Oh, dear. Peace keepers, help! I'm being assulted by a mad woman with twigs!" He yells in mock-horror, throwing himself on the floor. I roll my eyes and hover my foot over him as if I was going to step on him, which wasn't that far from the truth. The man on TV spoke up.

"And now, time for the much-waited for scores!" He sat back up next to me on the couch and wriggled his eye-brows at me. I put my hand in his face and shove him away, laughing.

"Weirdo. Now be quiet, _I_ need to watch my scores." Vydia prances into the room, squealing, followed by Acacia, Dandelion, and Damari. I hug them in the order they enter. Dandelion clasps my hands in hers.

"I bet you got a 10." She says, hope sparkling in her eyes.

"I wish that were true, but I don't think so." I chuckle, trying to cover up my nervousness. We all sit on the 'U' shaped couch, watching the TV intently.

"District 1:  
>Joshua: 9, Chloe: 8.<p>

District 2 :  
>Jason: 7, Amber: 8." I jump to my feet, not believing my own eyes.<p>

"Yeah! That's my tributes!" Brutus yells, while Stella nods approvingly. Dandelion, Jason's prep team, and Vydia squeal. Me and Jason find ourselves the center of a huge group hug, excluding Brutus and Stella. As we sit back down, I make eye contact with Jason. He smiles reassuringly, and I return the smile. But somewhere, fear flashed through our minds as we knew, there was no turning back.

* * *

><p><strong>All right! Chapter ended! Just in case anyone is curious, here are the other tributes scores:<strong>

**District 3-John: 6 Sidney:5, District 4- Jackson:5 Lily:7, District 5- Aiden: 6 Sophia:5, District 6- Liam: 4 Emma:5, District 7- Lucas:3 Olivia:3, District 8-Noah:2 Mia:4**

**District 9-Mason:4 Ava:3, District 10-Jayden:3 Zoe:5, District 11-Jace:3 Jasmine:4, District 12-Micah:2 Skylar:1,**


	6. Interview

_Interview_

Stella brings us again to the remake center. "Amber!" And Acacia hugs me. I hug her back. They practically drag me to the room. I am once again lathered with lotions and am pampered. Let's see what my new outfit is.

And once again I am shocked. I have a smoky eye and brick red lips( I guess brick red is my color) . I am gorgeous. I have French tips, with a red design in the thumbs. My brick red dress is fitted, till it gets to my hips. Then it flares out to my knees, when it ends.

Jason actually looked happy with his outfit. He was wearing a black military cut jacket over a white dress-shirt and black pants. We waited in line and I felt butterflies. I was fourth in line. I looked at the tributes from 1. She was dazzling in her skin tight dress embedded with diamonds and emeralds. Joseph, the male tribute from 1, left the room for the stage and we heard cheering and laughter. About five minutes later his district partner, Chloe, left for the stage. Then later, Jason was called. I whispered in his ear "Knock em' dead" He smiled, but I knew he was nervous. He left. Soon enough it was my turn.

On stage I almost fainted. I took a few baby steps toward Jacques, the man who interviews us. His whole outfit was lime green. Even his hair! The capital crowd cheered and I waved at them. I took my seat next to Jacques. And he asked "So, you got an eight?"

"yes."

"What is your skill?"

"Well, I throw knives. I tried knots, but I failed." The crowd chuckled at the last part.

"May I ask why you volunteered for the games?"

"Well, I want to win the games. Just like everyone back home."

"Do you have someone special back home?"

"No."

"What is the worst thing, and the best thing that's happened since the reaping?"

"Well, the worst would be the clear liquid I took without knowing what it would do."

He chuckled. "The best?"

"The cake."

The crowd burst out laughing and I felt embarrassed.

"What type?"

"Red velvet"

"Heavenly" he said and I nodded in agreement. We went on like this for a while and by the end we were both laughing.

"Well, best of luck." He said. And I was excused.

We finally got back to our living quarters. I was exhausted. I went straight to my room and fell asleep.

Light flooded the room. Tomorrow we entered the games. It can't happen this quick. It can't. I lock my door by barricading it with my chair and cry. I'm not stronger than stone. I can't do this. What was I thinking? That I would enter the games and win and everything would be okay?_Stupid! _

I hear a knock on the door. It's Brutus. "Time to be mentored. Get your butt out here." I change and gather myself together. Then,walk out. Brutus leads me to the table and we talk strategy again_._

"All right, Amber, so you're walking in the woods and a scared, 12 year old tribute is being attacked by a career. What do you do?"  
>"Tell Joshua to stop bulling the littles?" I say questioningly. "No. he's a fellow career. You tell him off, you're a target. Just walk away." Careers are monsters.<br>"Jason, you're walking towards the Cornucopia after the blood bath to scrounge up items, and a non-career walks up. She/he wants to kill you, and is stronger and knows how to kill. What do you do?" "Attack" He says simply. "Don't complete a task you can't do. Ever tried to blacksmith a weapon with no fire?" we shook our heads. "It's like that. It ain't happening."

I feel very knowledgeable about the games after our mentoring section. But knowledge won't make you win. According to Brutus, ruthlessness and brute strength will.  
>Standing on the balcony with Jason, laughing our butts of about other tributes and funny stories, It doesn't feel like the games are happening soon.<p>

I was knocked out of my thoughts by Jason. "I need to tell you something." Uh-oh... that doesn't sound good. "Yes?" He looks down and takes a deep breath. _Completely out of character. Why is he so nervous?_

"Amber, I think I'm falling in love with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry i just had to do that... My first cliff hanger. Muahahaha! thanks for the reviews guys! you rock!<strong>


	7. The Games

The look on his face was too much for me. "What?" I was so confused. I hadn't acknowledged my feelings for him, because if i fell in love, one or both of us would die.

"I-I" I stutter, speechless. I race to my room leaving behind a side of Jason I've never seen before. _What do I do?_ I stop and think about this situation. I finally walk back out and say, "Sorry Jason, But I can't develop feelings for anyone or vice versa. It's too complicated! And with that he sulked to his room and I felt mean. _I could've been nicer! No you couldn't have! _I argue with myself. Sit on the concrete floors by the balcony and watch people going about their lives. Not being dolled up to die. _Dolled up for death. Lovely. _

At dinner time I felt his gaze on me, but I will myself not to talk with him. I would only get hurt. I eat my food, and drink my drink, then I eat my dessert, not paying attention to what I'm consuming. I quietly walk to my room again. _Why am I such a baby?_ I sit on my bed and cry. I cry because everything I had planned out crumbled apart.

Once again, I wake up in this cursed place. _It gets darker before the dawn._ Well then, in my case, we'll all need sunglasses. I put on some clothes, when it hits me. Today is the Games. 

_10 minutes later_

"I'll win for you. I promise." I say as I look into Acacia's chocolate eyes. She is in her late twenties, but she acts about my age. she is like a sister to me.  
>"You can't promise that."<br>And my only friend from the capital was right. After we got trackers put in our forearms, We were put on little metal disks inside a glass elevator. Jason and I still made no contact since his confession. We nodded in each other's direction. I said my farewells to Stella and Brutus, and Vydia was crying. I almost did, but I was in shock. The elevator started moving. I saw a flash of light and then we were in the arena. I saw the cornucopia, the silver panels reflecting the light. I saw a ton of weapons. I was trained for this at the academy. I focused on them.  
><em>10<br>_I saw my knives.  
><em>9<br>_I saw some packs.  
><em>8<br>_I look at Jason, he is looking at the cornucopia and at the surroundings.  
><em>7<br>_His eyes focuse on the javelin  
><em>6<br>_My heart races. I make eye-contact with Lily. She gives me a nervous smile, and I return it.  
><em>5<br>_Now I make eye contact with the other careers. Joseph grins.  
><em>4<br>_The tributes, including me, shift around on our discs.  
><em>3<br>2  
>1<br>_A gong sounds, and I run as fast as I can. The will to live overpowering my senses. I take in my from seven had a dagger in her chest. Boom. I heard the cannon. A bunch more careers waited at the 'mound' (Chloe's nickname for the cornucopia) for more to arrive. there was blood everywhere. I had my pack, a ton of knives, some night vision glasses, and a sling shot. We stockpiled all the food in one huge mound, and I counted the tributes left in our pack. Joshua, Chloe, Jason, me, john from three, and lily from four. Two dead. The kid from five, and Sydney from three.

We ate like kings on dried meat and fruit. We talked and laughed at our campfire for a while. Jason and Josh had a playful brawl and all the careers were cheering and smiling. The capital anthem played and showed the faces of the dead. Sydney, Aiden from five, Emma from 6, Olivia from seven, Jayden from 10, and Micah and Skylar from 12. When we saw Sydney, John didn't cry, even though we knew they had been dating. We found her pack in the pool of blood where the bodies had been before the capital picked them up. we filled the pack with flowers, and John carries it with him. He mopes off, looking depressed.

* * *

><p>Zoe POV<p>

After the gong sounded, I ran as fast as my 12 year old legs could carry me. Which is pretty fast. I grew up in district ten on a farm, like everyone else. I volunteered for my best friend. I couldn't let her die. But I was sooo scared. I ran away from the cornucopia into the forest. I beckoned for my brother to follow me, and he did. He wasn't as fast, even though he was three years older. But he promised to help me through these games. I ran and ran till I climbed up a tree and looked all around. I heard cannons going off. 6. Six dead. Please don't be Jayden! I heard moaning and picked up a pokey stick I used as a weapon. I got ready to stab, and I was scared. _I don't want to kill anyone!_ I saw the brown unruly hair of my brother. I climbed down and he was crying.

He had an arrow in his side and he was holding a pack. "Jayden! How could you?" I sobbed into his shoulder. He dragged himself towards me, wincing, and handed me the pack. I found a knife and cut the arrow. "I can use the medical tape to patch it up! As long as the arrow stays plugging the hole!" I said desperately. I will try anything. I reach for the tape and he croaks, "No. Let me die. That will hurt to much. Please. Let me die." "I love you Jayden." I _saw _the pain, the fear in his eyes and I know what he wants. I cry and try to hand him the knife, but before I reach him, _Boom!_ I turn around. He's still. I sob into his shoulder. _He left me on the first day. I_ think of my mom and older sister, Luna. I cry into him again. Despair fills me. I can't do this. I walk away so the hovercraft can pick him up on the net. I do the three finger symbol for respect and return up the tree with the pack my brother died for. _He's not dead, only sleeping._ I tell myself over and over. But as I rocked back in forth in a fetal position, I knew it was true. And it killed me. Drove me _insane_ almost. But he was dead, and I was left alone in these horrid games.

Amber Pov

Day two in the games and we were going to find people to kill. I'm nervous, but I can't show weakness. Jason is his normal self around others, but when he enters my vicinity, he flashes me with sad eyes and walks away. Not this time. I grab his arm. "Jason, I know it's been awkward between us since the balcony, and I want that to stop. I'm falling for you too, but one or both of us will die. Where will that get us?" It was true. It popped out of my mouth without me thinking it, but once it was out I knew it was true. I was falling in love at the worst possible time. He stares at me, surprised. Then, he kissed me. I didn't pull away. When we finally pulled away Lily and Chloe clapped. "Alright now let's go kill someone." Chloe says and runs ahead. I smile at Jason and then run ahead to catch up with the others.

Us careers were jumping through the woods laughing. We saw a fire. We all quieted down and drew our weapons. I held my knives. I saw a boy and i heard the voices. "Mason!" someone yells, and a cannon fires. Everyone else looks around to see who killed him. "Lucas, what happened?" "He was eating blueberries and he just collapsed! Honest!" The girl, I recognized as Ava, was crying. I looked at the berry and whispered to the others, "nightlock! Its a poisonous berry!" Crying she pulls Lucas back and waits for the hover craft to get him. When it left, We attacked.I never saw myself as a killing machine, but the games changed me in some way, so quickly. Just the adrenalin rush, and the want to survive. But I _know_ I had been changed when I heard cannons. I saw my knives in both their chests. I saw the flesh rip, the blood spurt out, and i heard the words, "Help!" and i realized what i did. I was a monster.

** Haha! I made them fall in love in a place where only 1 lives! Not very original i know, but i had to.  
><strong>**I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I was on vacation. Also, I'm moving, so updates will be pretty slow.  
>Thanks for my 5th review! please keep reading and constructive criticism is very much welcome!<br>**


	8. The Green Mutt

Amber POV

The third day I woke up to an intruder. Jasmine from 11. Not too smart that one. She walks to our stack by the mound and pulls out a sling shot. Lily throws a net over her and stabs her with a trident. _Boom_. She dies. That's all there was to it. I freeze, guilty that she died. But I know we have to. _To survive. _ We take her bow and step back for the hover craft. Six people left beside careers. These games are going by quick. _Too _quick.

Zoe POV

I was collecting wild herbs when I heard a boom. I feel pain again and wipe a tear from my eye, the cannon reminding me of my brother. I still see my brothers face whenever I close my eyes. I know I have to let him go. To get my mind off him I decide to explore. I climbed a tree to see the rest of the arena, and saw something strange. A black area in the arena. I climb down and grab my stuff. I find sunglasses, dried fruit, rope, and an empty canteen. I found a watery area, but drank my entire canteen on the first day. I was very thirsty. "Please! I need water!" I spoke to the sky. I remembered something I learned on the farm. _Home._ Tears run down my face. "If you are on the ranch, and you are thirsty, come back in. If you're thirsty, your already dehydrated."

I continued on my journey to the darkness when I heard bells. I have a sponsor! I jump up and giggle. The silver parachute floated down and I said, "Thank you!" and I meant it. I opened it to find not a canteen of water but iodine. I take it as a sign water is nearby. I keep walking in the hot sun till I reach a swampy area. I look at the nasty water. No. they don't mean this? Do they? I remembered my training on the farm and dug a hole in the sandy dirt by the water till it was full of the water. This trick just insured there was no debris in the water. I scoop it into my canteen and put the iodine in. At least I won't die of dehydration! _Yet. _I shudder at that thought as I retreat to a tree for the rest of the day.

AmberPOV

_Boom_. I awake to a cannon today. I hear the hovercraft and I sit up in confusion. Who was it? I look around and meet eyes with Jason, who is sitting up about 3 feet away. I look around and I see John's dead body. Josh is standing above him, looking insane. He looks angry, yet tears are running down his face. I walk towards him.

"What?"

"He tried to kill me." Josh says. I saw the cuts around his neck and a cord was on the ground by John. John tried to _strangle _Josh. Why?

"He was going to try to kill us one by one. I interrogated him."

"Oh." was all I said. So this is what happens when you betray a career. Sudden death.

I walk back to the fire and sit by Jason. I was numb to death. I cry into him. "I don't even _care_ he died. Or Jasmine. What is wrong with me?"

"Amber, Just know, no matter how much these games change us, I will still love you. Nothing can take that away from us." He sniffled. Jason was scared.

I fell back to sleep on Jason. I get up groggily. I see Chloe is awake, looking bored. I walk to her and offer to teach her about plants. She hops up. "_Anything_ is better than nothing!" And she follows me to the woods. We had a deep conversation about death and I found out she doesn't like it anymore than I do. We talked about who was left:

Joshua and Chloe, Jason and me, Jackson and Lily(4),Sophia(5), Liam(6), Noah and Mia(8), Zoe(10), and Jace. Half of us were dead.

Chloe know knows what Nightlock, Nightshade, and many other poisonous plants look like as well as identifying edible plants. Medicinal herbs? Well, not her strong suit. "Chloe, Stinging Nettles."

"Umm… Boil them, and if you are sick chew them raw?"

"Nope. If you are swollen, whack it against your skin. Don't touch it without gloves on."

she looks about ready to fall over. "Let's go Chloe." "Yessss finally!" And she follows me hastily back to camp. at the mound I discover a breakfast of sorts is being made. beef jerky and blackberries. I notice lily is heating some blackberries on a rock and stirring them with a stick till they are mashed into a sludge. "A jam of some sorts" she says. She lathers it on some bread and eats it. I decide it looks good enough.

Zoe POV

I made it to the darkness. It was scary. It was like one second it was daylight, next second it was midnight. I decide it was probably not safe to go in. I saw a glowing yellow light and felt drawn to it; curiously, I took a step into the darkness. I heard howling, snarls, and a guttural scream. I step out, scared. "Jackson! Kill it! PLEASE!" I heard the voice of a female. "Sorry." I heard the snarl like voice of 'Jackson'. _Boom!_ I decide it was the girl. I run scared. I need an ally. How can I go through these games alone?

Another kill fest. We started on our journey and we were walking trying to creep out any tributes nearby. "WERE COMING! FOR YOU LITTLE TRIBUTE!" We sang and we sounded drunk. We laughed. Sure enough a tribute rustled in the forest. we turned and raced after him/her. As we got closer, I realized it was a mutt. "Fall back! It's a mutt!" I yell and most of us run back. I notice the mutt is a grotesque bipedal creature with scaly reptilian skin in a lively green color. It's head is like a birds head, but still covered in scales like the rest of its body. A yellow liquid starts shooting out of it's beak. Frozen in fear, the liquid finds my right arm. "AH!" I feel an instant sensation of something burning. Pain shoots up my arm, followed by itching and an ache. Some sort of poison. Joshua gets hit several times and I'm already over by him so I pick up his arms and drag him away from the creature. It walks awkwardly towards us. my arm seems ready to give. The ache is terrible. As I drag him he starts twitching. boils are forming on his skin where the liquid hit. While he convulses, a girl tribute comes and starts helping me. But this girl is not a career.

Zoe

I was walking, more like _running_ through the woods when I heard I cry of terror. I investigated. Careers were being attacked by a green scaly bird that had a scaly humanoid body. I whimpered. I saw all the careers were gone, except the boy from one and a blonde haired, slender girl with knives tucked in her pocket. I see her crying and trying to drag the boy away from the mutt, but she was getting sprayed and he was convulsing too much.

They wouldn't make it. Unless I helped. I swallowed my fear and ran towards them and started helping. She looked at me confused, but we still worked together to get him out of there. My heart was racing. We got to safety and she ran back with her knives. I waited for the cannon. Instead she came back, but with raw skin covering her arms. she fell to the ground in front of me, and started convulsing just like the boy.

Amber

I killed the creature. When I came back, I felt a weird sensation. Every movement was slow, like moving through molasses. All of the sudden my muscles cramped, and fell limp. I couldn't stand. I fell to the floor and my limbs were shaking or convulsing. I felt pain, and I felt paralyzed. I laid there while my rescuer stood over me in shock.

* * *

><p>How do you like my new chapter? Thanks for reading!<p> 


	9. Findin the Pack Again

9

The small girl stood above me, and kept trying to pull me into a pond. I tried to stop convulsing, but my arms wouldn't listen. I tried to look over at Joshua. Tears were running down his face. He had gained control over his body and looked like was in a trance. He started screaming. "Joyce! No!" His screams were so loud. He started clawing at his throat. The girl ran over to him and tried to pry his hands away from his throat, but she looked 12 and he was a super strong 18 year old. I finally regained control and slowly stepped up. I Jason run towards us. I run to him. "Jason!" But he has a sword in his stomach. I look, horrified, and discover Joshua's sword wasn't on the ground anymore. I scream. "JASON!" I couldn't believe it. I cried. "No!" I felt my body being dragged away from him. I am put in the small pond and it feels like my skin is melting off. I thrash around. "Ow! Get me out of here!" I cry. I almost can't breathe I'm crying so hard. Then, the pain stops. I get up, my limbs feeling like noodles. Jason…. dead already. I cry and I fall to the floor. "No!" I look up to his body. It's not there. "Wh-what?"

"I think you hallucinated." she said. I noticed she was crying too. "Don't kill me!" she said as I stood up. "I'm not!" I hear Joshua scream. She looks so shaken. "I-I can't carry him! or drag him!" she starts crying again. I go over there to start pulling him into the water, and he croaks, "Joyce!" and he falls silent. He stops moving, the girl asks, "Is he-" asif to answer her question, "Joy.." Her eyes widen. She looks ready to break down. I pick up Joshua's limp arm and drag him with us. I think about what I saw today, about Jason and Joshua. A tear comes to my eyes. I was lost in the arena. And I was separated from Jason.

Zoe

I couldn't believe she didn't want to kill me. I could have an ally! I watch her throw her knives at some squirrels. The squirrels darted away and she went to pick up her knives. "Why are the stupid squirrels so fast?" she angrily mumbled. I saw anger flash in her eyes, and then it melted into sadness. I see a gooseling. Perfect. I find the unconscious boys sword and chase the bird. At the farm I did this with the gooslings. Of course they were so fat they could barely run. I catch it and hold it by the neck. I tell her to shove sticks in the ground to make a pen. Meat doesn't taste good if the animal is scared. A couple minutes later we had a pen, just big enough to hold him. When he calmed down, I grimaced; I don't like killing things, and swing the sword to the gooslings neck. It tries to run around, but the pen stops it. She picks up the thing by the legs and hands it to me. "Wow. I didn't know you had that in you. My name's Amber." "Zoe." I respond. I hold the twitching fowl while she tries and succeeds in making a fire. We cook it and have possibly my best meal. later, The boy wakes up. "Joyce… she's gone" He says, his eyes glistening with tears. "Are you okay?" I ask. "Who are you?" "I-Im Zoe." He searches for his sword. Amber walks in with the last gooseling leg and hands it silently to Joshua. She throws up her hands in defeat when he starts to ask a question. "No. Just no. I've been through too much today. Just…. deal with it. I'll tell you tomorrow "He starts to cry. "She's not dead" I say. He looks at me questioningly. "Hallucination." He looks relieved.

Amber

When that girl, Zoe, killed the bird, I stood there in awe. She looked so weak, but she chased that thing and killed it, gracefully. If that's even possible. I need to find the careers. I need to protect Zoe. I need to find Jason. But for now, it's time to sleep. I set up camp on the ground and light a fire, hoping it will lead the careers to us.

In the morning it seems dimmer than usual, and to the left it gets darker. To the right it gets lighter, I wake Zoe up and tell her about the darkness, and her eyes widen and she says, "Don't go there!" I stare at her questioningly. _Why not?_ "Are you scared of the dark?" she shakes her head vigorously. "There are no lights. And there are mutts I think." she says. Her eyes are really huge. It's actually kind of adorable. See, this is why I wanted a younger sister._ Whoa. Back on track there. "_Ok, so don't go to the dark area?" She nods her head and I see fear in her eyes. I pick up the stuff. "Here, help me pack up." She comes over and we shove the stuff in packs and get up. I wake up Joseph and we silently walk towards the sunlight.

I hear laughing. Who laughs in the games? The careers. _Jason!_ "It's them!" I run forward, while she stands still. "What?" "Are you sure about this?" "Yes! Come on!" she follows me and I run straight towards the sound. I see them laughing and chopping through the dense forest. "Jason!" I run into his arms and am met by a kiss. "It's hard to kiss you when you are smiling, you know." Jason says. I laugh. "I missed you!" I say. Chloe is staring daggers at Zoe. Lily is just sitting. "Joshua..." I start. "What happened?" She asks quickly, noticing his beat up face. I look down. "He barely survived from the mutt attack." She looked angry, but I couldn't help but notice the tears in her eyes. "Did he say anything?" I heard hope in her voice. "He was hallucinating. He was talking about a girl named Joyce." "Oh." She sulked off.

Zoe steps forward, reminding everyone of the small preteen. "What's your name?" Lily asks, authority in her voice. "Zoe." she says. "Where did you pick her up?" "She saved me. From the mutt." she leaned closer and whispered, "Chloe's on edge, since you guys went missing. They were like brother and sister. But, she might try to kill this one. Watch out!" I nod. _What? Chloe? Kill her? No way. She wouldn't kill an innocent tribute. _Tribute. Oh no. Chloe's changing. At a certain point in the game, sooner or later, the careers change. They forget compassion and become as feral as a wild animal. What was Brutus like before the games? Did he have a special someone? _Get_ _back on track._ I shake my head. Was I being changed? I was starting to feel bored! At the beginning I was scared, and now I'm feeling bored? _There's no action! _ I shake my head again, as if to rid myself of that thought. _What is wrong with me? _

Hours later

We set up camp again and I keep Zoe close. In between me and Lily. I snuggle up next to Jason, and lie with my head on his chest. He's taking first watch. I fall asleep to his hand stroking my hair.

Zoe

I couldn't seep. Even between Amber and Lily, I was scared. I kept cowering under my blankets, as if it would help me. I heard rustling. I cower even farther down to the bottom of the sleeping bag. "Hey! What are you doing! "I hear Amber's boyfriend yell. I don't dare get out of my sleeping bag, but I peek my eyes out at the top. I see Chloe sharpening a dagger near the fire. "What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" She snarls. "Go back to bed Chloe. They stare each other down. When Jason wins, she growls and lays back down on her sleeping bag. _What was that about? _I ask my self. And then I fall back asleep.

Amber

In the morning we all eat jerky and catch up on all that's happened. After the Mutt, Jason, Chloe, and John thought we were following them, so they ran. When they were far enough away from the thing, they discovered we weren't following them, but they didn't hear cannons, so they went to look for us. At night they set up camp and would continue their search the next day. That's when we found each other. The rest of the day seems to drag on with no excitement. No careers nearby. No exploring. I guess from the games I've seen, the other tributes are constantly hunted. No time to rest. Always running. But the careers, we are the predators. They are the prey.


	10. Darnkess of Goodbyes

On day ten, we were back at the Mound. Since we left, it had been ransacked. Empty sacks of apples, missing packs, and no more weapons. "What no good stupid tribute would do this!" Joseph yells. "Ones who want to stay alive?" I say. He glares at me. "We should explore." Jason suggests.

"Let them rob us again? No way!"

"We have a new problem!" I yell, to get their attention. "We have no food, supplies, or weapons! Minus the ones we are carrying. So st-"

I am cut off by a booming voice.

"We are having a feast at the edge of darkness!" and then it was silent.

We look around, confused. "At the edge of darkness? Where is that!" Chloe asks, clearly frustrated._ Darkness? Oh! the place Zoe was scared of! _"Zoe, can you do this?" I look at her. She must have caught on because her eyes widen. "Not there. I'll stay here." I look at the others. "Who wants to come? Who wants to stay?"

Chloe, Joshua, Lily, and I are walking silently towards darkness. We haven't gotten there yet, but we know it's pretty close. We find the spot where we found the mutt and quickly run through it, weapons drawn. " I hope we don't see anymore Mutts." Lily says, breaking the silence. Chloe sighs, "I doubt it. There already having their stupid yet very useful feast." I roll my eyes at them and run ahead to Joshua, and discover I have to walk very fast to keep up with his long strides. "Are we there yet?" he asks. "Almost. Actually, I'll say we are there." I say, noting the fading sunlight in one direction. "Whoa. Gloomy." Lily says once she and Chloe catch up. "Yeah. And watch out. Zoe thinks there are mutts." And with that, we draw our weapons. The world fades, and everything turns black. My eyes do not adjust. The four of us cling on to each other's arms, not wanting to loose each other to the unseen. _I sound like a poet._ I giggle, and I'm pretty sure I can see questioning faces staring at me. "Nothing." I say in a singsong voice. _Have I lost it?_ "I'm pretty sure you have!" Lily says as-a-matter-of-factly. Oops. I said it aloud! I giggle more and Chloe sighs. I see light again as we make it out of the dark place. _no mutts._ I see a table with packs laid out. we grab 1,2 and 11. "Ahem. District 4?" Lily interrupts. The moment Joshua reaches for it, a mace comes out of nowhere and connects with his hand. Lily snarls. "Die, career scum." she says, picking up the bloodstained pack and walking off with her partner, Jackson. "Lily!" She turns around, and gives me a look that made me want to cry; she turns around and grabs his mace, switching out the Trident. She swings it, but Chloe jumps in front of it, taking a fatal blow to the head. I gag at the horrendous sight. Her forehead is smashed in, blood leaking out quickly. Blood mixes with my vomit as I hear a cannon. Her cannon. I look up at lily, but she ran off with her partner. I walk back slowly, with a screaming Joshua in tow. His hand is probably broken. Blood is leaking out. I see raw bone in one area. I turn away quickly and open district one's pack. _Bandages! Please... _I rummage through the bag and find bandages. I also find something to help with pain. Morphine. "How did they know?" I ask the sky. I put morphine in his arm while he screams. He slowly stops, and then collapses. I grab the packs for 1,2, and 11 and I clean his wound while the hovercraft comes. The wind blows my hair so I can barely see. The tears are leaking down my face._ She died…for me._ _And Lily, she lied to us. Lily. of all people._ I sob a horrible cracked sound. Lily will pay for what she did. I wrap the bandage around his broken hand. I sit next to him, waiting to die. I can't drag him away from here and back to camp. I can't bring Chloe back. And I can't fix Lily.

Later that night I hear the anthem. I see Chloe looking regal as a queen. Chloe Everheart. My hero from district one. Joshua stares blankly. Liam Joshly from 6, and Mia Avery from 8 were faces among the dead. That leaves Joshua, Jason, Me, Jackson, Lily, Noah from 8, Zoe, and Jace from 10. Eight tributes left. "They are doing interviews now, you know." Joshua says while staring at his bandage. I wonder what my dad is saying about me. If he's proud of me, or disappointed with me for being a crybaby. "I know." I say softly. I curl up on the ground and try to sleep. But all that comes is a night mare.

In The Capitol.

The interviewer for the games, Jacques Stokes sat in his Chair while talking to Mr. and Mrs. Mark. The Mrs. was currently sniffling. "My son trained so hard, and I'm so proud of him. I hope he wins; I can't imagine what I would do without him." The capitolites in the audience were going "Aww…" Jacques him self was showing sympathy. His sad eyes glanced at the floor. "Well, we hope he wins." His voice suddenly turns cheery and he says, "Don't we Citizens?" Out comes Mr. Reedfield. The crowd applauds. "Mr. Reedfield! Hello!" The two shake hands. "How are you?" "I'm great Jacques, and so is my daughter. I've never seen this strong side of her. This has always been my dream for her." "Amber is very beautiful, and how do you feel about her love interest?" He was going to say something sour about Jason, when he realized he didn't want to upset the capitolites. "I think they make a stunning couple. As I said before, I couldn't be prouder!" The lies tasted like bile on the man's tongue. He _was_ proud of her. She entered the games! However, falling in love with a tribute? He hoped it was an act for sponsors. He answered questions about his wife, his position, and said something along the lines of "I know my princess will win." And he was excused.

The Arena

_Zoe runs towards me, and I run away. She looks like she needs help. She stops, panting, and when she picks up her head, the green bird mutt comes out of nowhere and she drowns in a puddle of acid. Her skin is red with white blisters popping out everywhere. She screams, then falls limp._

I sit up quickly, to save Zoe! When I sit up, it's early in the morning. The artificial sun is rising. I wake Josh up. "Wake up!" "Huh?" he makes some weird grunting noises while I raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing Josh?" "Stretching." I roll my eyes and stamp my foot. _Ugh.I want to keep moving. _"Okay that's enough. Let's go." I say and he follows me. I hesitantly step into the dark area this time. _My nightmare. The darkness. Joshua's sword piercing my stomach. _Joshua would kill me. I let out a battle cry and turn towards Joshua. I pin him against a tree, throwing knives drawn. "I will use these as daggers!" I snarl. "Your eyes are doing a good enough job. What was that for? We're allies!" Joshua spits. "Careers? Not exactly the steadiest alliance."

"What did I do to you, Amber."

I roll my eyes. _Acting all innocent now is he. _"You know what you were going to do. You were going to kill me."

"I might now! Let me go! The careers will kill you Amber! not a smart move."

Ha! I snort. "Reality check. Lily wants you dead, Chloe _is_ dead, Jason's my boyfriend, and Zoe isn't capable of killing me." He looks defeated.

Suddenly, it hits me. "I'm so sorry!" I say. He was not going to kill me. I release him and he draws him arm back and is about to punch me, when I sprint away. "I was wrong! I'm sorry!" I yell. He chases me. _Oops. _I mentally strangle myself. He catches up. He picks up his sword and slices me across the right arm. Pain surges up my arm. I scream. I do the only thing I can do with my left arm. I throw a knife at him. _Splat. _He stops and doubles over, blood gurgles in his mouth. I cover my face with my hands. _Sorry. So So sorry. Boom!_ I stare at the cut, blood dripping down my hands_. _I fumble through the district one bag and find the leftover bandages. I wrap my arm as best as I can and drag myself through the darkness. The bag for me has matches. _Matches!_ I light one. It lasts me for about five minutes. Capital matches are good. I grab another and blindly light another one. I can faintly see light. I turn around, a moving light catching my eye in the direction I came from. I walk towards it. _What is it? So pretty. Back on track! It's moving towards me, and more are coming. _I giggle gleefully. "Yay!" I snap out of it when I hear a deep wolf like growl. _Huh? _When the light comes closer I see a monster with brackish scales coming towards me. Before I can get a god look at it, It pounces. I feel weight against my body and it's teeth rip through my leg. I scream. It feels like my leg is on fire. Like if millions of potato peelers were dragged along your skin. "Help! Help!" I cry. I scream. I remember my two knives. I pull one out and chuck it towards the creature. It whimpers, but keeps on going. I desperately claw at it's grotesque face. It now has stopped with my foot, and is moving towards it's buddies slowly. I hobble away as fast as I can with my three packs, the creatures not bothering to follow. I make it to light. I make it to Jason. I collapse on the ground by the mound. I don't hear anything, and everything seems to go in slow motion. My arm throbs. I begin to loose conciseness.

_My foot burns. _

_Throb._

_I killed Joshua._

_Throb_

_My arm…_

_Throb_

_Jason. Is he okay?_

_Throb._

_What about -_

I was going to finish my thought when the world faded.

I wake up and everything is fuzzy. Jason is standing beside me. I groan. Everything aches. I look down to see my leg. My ankle and down is bandaged. The cloth it red. I try to move it, but it sends a spiral of pain shooting up my body. I scream again. Jason immediately rush to me and holds my right hand. He squeezes and I flinch. "OW!" I exclaim. That hurts so badly! He immediately switches to my left. "I'm so sorry." he mutters into my arm. "I Thought you were dead!" he starts breaking down. I can't move. "It's okay" I gasp, and am thrown again into darkness.

When I wake, again I feel better. My left foot hurts too much to stand, but my right arm I can move. My eyelids flutter open and Zoe rushes to my side. She takes my left hand. "She's awake!" She yells excitedly, turning to face Jason who is glumly playing with a stick. I hear a parachute, and Jason's energy is immediately refocused on the object in the silver canteen. He races to it, opens it up, and gulps. He looks up to the sky. "Thank you!" and he runs towards me, a grin on his face. "Pain killer!" is all he says. I smile probably the largest I have since my mom left me. He injects me with liquid, and my foot and arm starts to feel better. "Already?" I smile at him. He pulls me into a hug. Zoe joins too. I smile weakly. "Today, I-" I choked. "I killed Joshua." Jason looks at me in bewilderment. "First of all, why? Second of all, that was three days ago." My jaw drops. "And where is Lily?" I fight back tears. "Joshua attacked me." I said, looking at my cut. I felt bad for lying. but he would hate me if he found out. "Lily," I look down, to compose myself. "She killed Chloe and ran off with Jackson." He stares at me as if I was a piece of glass when tears start falling freely down my face. He hugs me again and kisses my forehead. and I spend the next couple minutes crying into his chest.

"Day 15?" I couldn't believe it. It had been over two weeks and both me and Jason were alive. "Yes." Jason answered for the umpteenth time. Noah from 8 died on day 12, and Jace from 11 died on day 13. I couldn't believe that either. Besides us three, It was only Jackson and Lily. "Wow." "I don't want to loose either of you." I say sadly. I hear roaring of some sorts and whirl around. "What.." "Huh?" The trees around us were breaking. "Run!" Zoe screams, and we run to catch up. We run for miles, the wind roars along with the trees and creates a deafening noise. I stop to plug my ears. Jason yells something, and whirls to grab me just in time, because a tree crashes in that same spot. _Crash!_ I hear an earsplitting scream. "ZOE!" I yell. I see her small crumpled form under a tree. "No!" I yell. _No. Not her. Please… No!_ "NO!" _Boom!_ I see blood pooling under her and I stop. Jason picks me up bridal style and carries me onward while I scream. They can't take her. she can't die! I can still see her body; we are so close the craft won't pick her up. The wind stops. The trees are still. I jump away from Jason and make my way to her. "Zoe!" "I should've protected you more!" I try to pull away the tree that caused her death, and Jason joins in. I pull her body out and into a clearing.

Her head is bashed in, like Chloe's was. Streams of blood are pouring out of her nose and the side of her head. She was very beautiful, lying there so peacefully. I curl up into a ball by her arm. her short brown hair is caked with blood and dirt and her pale skin is covered in cuts and bruises and the large dent in her forehead. I sing a song that I remembered it just stuck in my head from who knows where.

"Blue skies surround you, sunlight dances too,

Your soul flies swiftly, up to the skies

Your weary soul will find rest"

Jason sits beside me and stokes my hair. I see tears in his eyes too.

"Here in my arms: tonight

I'll always find you

Here in my arms: tonight

My heart will miss you"

I sob the next stanza.

"Why did you leave me? Now you lay at rest

And with you here now, I say goodbye

You now face no more troubles"

I can't finish. Jason picks me up again and runs. I finish the rest in my head.

_Here in my arms: tonight_

_I'll always find you_

_Here in my arms: tonight_

_My heart will miss you_

_Here in my arms_

_I'll always find you_

_But some day soon,_

_I will have to let you go._

I cling to Jason because he is the only thing I have left in these games.


	11. Payback

11

I've convinced myself to let Zoe go. It helped a bit. Another thing that helped was my will to survive. As we walk , we find ourselves towards the edge of the arena. A force field is blocking us from the rest of the world. I hear rustling. Out comes Lily and a beat up Jackson. We hide in a hole covered by brush. "Shh." I whisper to Jason. I was soo scared. I was angry. I wanted to kill Lily. "Let's charge them."

"Really Amber?" I sigh. I lean over into his chest. We stand in silence. _I really love him._ I look into the eyes of him. "Tell me about Kaylie's death wish towards me." I say. This catches him off guard. "Huh Oh." He chuckles. "Well, she came in and said, 'Kill her! I hate her! she stole my glory!'" I laugh quietly at his falsetto when he mimics her. "I said, 'Sure thing. You know I will win.'" he says this sadly. "But now I see I won't win. Because you are." and he pulls me into a kiss. "Tell me a story about you and your dad."

"Well, um… One day, when I was ten I threw a temper tantrum. It was around dinnertime actually. I picked up a steak knife. And, I threw it. At the wall. It hit an apple in a tapestry."  
>"Wow, you were a knife throwing prodigy!"<br>"HaHa! I wish. I was _horrible_ when I started. I must be accurate when I'm a diva."  
>He smiles sadly. "I'm going to miss you."<br>"Don't say that!" I take a breath. _Change the subject. _"I'm going to throw a knife at him."  
>"What?" I look into his handsome sea green eyes, and I tousle his golden hair.<p>

"I going to throw a knife at him." I stand up and pull out my last knife. _Please work._ I throw it, silently willing for it to make contact. I duck back down. "Lil- Ah!" Jackson cries. His body jerks forward. He doubles over. His mouth turns into an _O_ and blood trickles out of it. Jason kisses my forehead. "Genius!" he whispers. I flash a smile. _How far I have come. President Snow would be proud. _I used to think of Snow highly. I used to think he was punishing those who wronged him. But he was just cruel. We wanted us suffer for no apparent reason. He was hiding under lies and he was a coward. I lookat all he makes us do. All he made me do. _Boom!_ Lily screams angrily, "I'll kill you Amber! Just like you killed Chloe, and Joshua!" How did she know? "Well now it's just, you me and your loverboy! I joined the careers to kill you all, but I got tired. You are backstabbing 'Capitolites'"  
>I stand up, angry now and walked towards her despite Jason trying to pull me back without being seen.<br>"Capitolites? They may support us but I do not belong to the capital. I am my own person, Lily. They threw us in these games. Do not kill anyone and blame it on me because I'm a 'Capitolite.' You know what's not fair? When victor's go on victory tour, they have to say, 'Sorry I killed him. I had to.' However, you know what? President Snow should do that. And the game makers. I want for one Hunger Games, every one to defy the Capital. No one kills anybody. But we both know that will not happen. Nevertheless, blame these wretched games on me! I'm sure they are my fault! And Chloe? That's your fault. She died saving me."

She glares at me, speechless. Jason is climbing out of the ditch.  
>"No!" I yell. "Ha. Had to bring your body guard with you, didn't you?" While she focuses on Jason, I run towards Jackson's body. I rip the knife out of his chest. I look at the blade. <em>How can something so beautiful be so deadly?<em> I stare at the black blood pouring out of the wound. It's interesting, how blood appears black. _Back on track. _I run towards Jason, about to throw my knife at Lily. _No. I will be the better person. _Instead I glare, knife in hand. She notices my weapon and smirks, eying her own mace. I was scared for my life: no, not my life, Jason's life. All in one instant Lily raises her mace towards Jason: I run towards her, to deflect Jason. She pauses, and I slide pass.

I turn around to run, when her mace makes contact with Jason's chest. I see the quarter sized holes in his chest. "No!" I scream. She runs off, just as I am about to kill her. "No!" I scream repeatedly. I hyperventilate. I open the packs for bandages. None. I hold my hands against the wounds, to stop the blood. I take his shirt off him and hold it to the wound. _No. This isn't happening! why is his injury turning.. No!_ I notice brownish tendrils snaking their way up his chest. _Some sort of poison? _I know my herbs. I look around for a plant that might have caused this. However, I know if they reach his heart, it's too late. How could this happen? Lily. My former friend who injured one former friend, killed an ally, and murdered my boyfriend. I always knew the games would end with one of us dead. "Jason, please! Wake up!" I shake his body. His eyes flutter open he moans. "Amber, I love you. Know that."

"I do, Jason. But, I'm a horrible person. I lied to you." I'm sobbing the words now. He weakly reaches forward and brushes the tears from my eyes. I lay down next to him and hold his hand. "I lied. I told you Joshua attacked me, but I attacked him. I changed!" He stares at me and is silent. "Say something!" I look into his empty eyes. "You can't leave me! I love you!" My tears are falling onto his lifeless face as I lean over him to give him CPR. _Please don't be gone! You can't go! I could've killed her first. Jason would be alive._"Boom!" It was the sound that changed my life. "No! You can't do this Snow! Bring him back! Lily, If I find you, I will not hesitate to kill you!" I scream at the top of my lungs. _I'm going mad. _"Jason, I love you." I sob and I run away from that area. I climb a tree and watch the hovercraft come. I see his arms hanging limp through the sides of the claw. "Goodbye." I whisper with my raspy voice.

A million thoughts hurricane through my head: How will I get over Jason? Will Lily kill me first? What does my dad think of me? Can I survive the games?

**Ok, that was hard to write so I'm sorry if it didn't make sense. Shout out to ****malkimo12****! she gave me an epic idea for my book! on another note, I forgot to put disclaimers, so here it is. I don't own The Hunger Games, but I do own all of my characters! (Except Snow and Brutus) And this is strange, but I don't own Micah and Skylar's chariot ride outfits either. That was Suzanne Collin's as she mentioned their outfit from an unknown Game. Thanks for reading!**

_"Honey, Wake up!" I am shaken awake by my mother. Her golden-blonde hair falls in a curtain around her, and the ends tickle my face. "Huh?" I grunt and sit up. My 6-year-old self sat up, blinking as the light momentarily blinds me. "Morning sweetheart." My mother says in a warm tone. I hug her. "Time for breakfast! I made pancakes with chocolate chips!" I rush into the kitchen. On the table sits my pancakes. I eat them. In the distance, my mom and dad are fighting. I pay no attention, because this happens often. "Well you shouldn't have married…." I don't catch the last part. "Maybe I shouldn't have, Gabriel." my mom spits. "Good bye." My dad responds. I was scared. Was my mom going to leave me? "Mommy?" She walks towards me. "Yes?"_

_"Are you going to leave me and daddy?" I was scared she would.  
>"No, sweetie! I love you and your father. I will never leave you."<em>

The light of the morning blinds me. _Did I really fall asleep? _My dream… It was a memory, It was so… familiar. But I don't have time to think about it. I brush a tear from my eye. "Jason…" I miss him so much. No person or thing could fill the void in my heart. I can't love someone ever again, because they will be taken from me. Even my friends are. First Lily, then Chloe, then Zoe, now Jason. I still remember his hands, stroking my hair, his breathtaking smile, and his sarcastic words. I'm soo glad the games didn't change him like they changed me. I would be even more devastated. I could've saved him, if I jumped a second later. _I missed by one second and now he's.. _dead. I whimper. No no no no no! this can't happen! they can't all be dead! this is all just one crazy nightmare. I can't keep the tears back now. I curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out.

I get up from my fetal position, and decide to get my mind onto more pleasant things. My whole body is bruised and cut. Snow ripped out my heart and fed it to wild animals. I limp through the treeline. I know I need to be on my guard. The game Maker's will try to bring me and Lily together for the final battle. But I am not ready. I can camouflage myself! I pick up a handful of dirt and clay and rub it on my head and limbs. Now I need mud. I walk for a couple minutes, to find a creek. I rub the mud on me too. I lay down in the muddy banks and fall asleep.

Crunch! I resist the urge to stand up and fight. luckily, the creek is in a deep ditch and I am underneath a ledge. Lily is up there, setting up camp. I would move, but it would be too risky. I wait for hours, and it starts to get dark. This is why they have not sent mutts. They put us together with the hurricane, and now we are right on top of each other. I scoot out to see a glimpse of her camp. She is lying down on the ground, no fire. Her packs are also just lying down on the grass. Her breath is even. I find a rock and throw it into a far tree to see if it startles her. Nope. She starts snoring. Definitely asleep. I get up and I quickly and soundlessly maneuver around her camp and grab food from her pack. I shove some in my pockets and in my mouth. I find the trident. I raise it up to stab her in the chest. "This is payback, _friend._" I snarl the last word. Crack! I stepped on a twig! I put the trident down as she starts to wake up. At the last moment, I run into the forest.


	12. Finale

I try to be as quiet as I can. _I wish Jason were here. _I wish I could just… forget. It seems weird to say, but I would not be hurt if I didn't remember. I run further into the woods and find one of the many clearings. I lay down on the soft grass. I look around at trees, squinting. I remembered Zoe's pack, and the Night vision glasses in them. I take it off my shoulder and rummage through it. _Score! _I put them on. "Whoa." It seems like broad daylight! I look around again. _Paper Birch! _I think of my training and the survival classes we take at the academy. I can make a good fire with this! I pull the bark off the tree. I dig a small hole in the ground using an empty canteen. I start my fire. I don't know what to do, so I sing.

"Blue skies surround you, sunlight dances too,

Your soul flies swiftly, up to the skies

Your weary soul will find rest" Tears fall, I curl up in a ball and continue.

"Here in my arms: tonight

I'll always find you

Here in my arms: tonight

My heart will miss you

Why did you leave me? Now you lay at rest

And with you here now, I say goodbye

You now face no more troubles

Here in my arms: tonight

I'll always find you

Here in my arms: tonight

My heart will miss you

Here in my arms

I'll always find you

But some day soon,

I will have to let you go." I am reminded of all I lost, but it comforts me nonetheless.

I fell asleep singing last night. My eyes feel heavy, and my limbs are sore. My face is bruised and cut. I feel like a walking pile of crap. I gather up my stuff and run towards Lily's camp. _Is she still there? _I huff and puff, extremely tired. I don't see anyone. I hold my breath, just in case._ She's not there. Where did she go? _I should've kept my eye on her! I run towards the dark area, but then I remember the mutts. _Do I want to go there? No… I do not. _I am about to run forward when I hear cracking and sizzling. Growls and snarls. I turn around and am face to face with a green bird mutt like one that almost killed Joshua. There are 11 of them. And joining them are 11 mutts that I guess are from the darkness. They are creatures of nightmare. They have the face of a fish, with large needlelike teeth. They have blackish-brown scales. They are herding me towards the cornucopia. I try to turn the other way and am met by the bird's acid poison on my arm. I scream and run faster than I ever have before. I see Lily, also being brought to the mound by the mutts. "Angler fish mutt!" She yells. I tremble. My body is taking control of it's self. Trying to undermine my will power. _Stop! _I scream at myself. I am about to collapse on the floor. I am screaming aloud now. _This is it. This is the end. I came this far just to die. Why can't I just surrender? _Surrender. As I think that thought it seems my muscles cry out, _Surrender! _I give in to the pain and the convulsing and my world goes black.

The world is black. I blink, and it's light again. My muscles feel like they have liquefied. I try to stand up, but cry out from the pain. Ugh. I feel once again like crap. I attempt to stand again. I look around me, and Lily is unconscious. The mutts have left. I notice her right arm is torn to shreds. Her skin is pale, bruised and sickly. I could kill her now. I could win. I get up and walk towards her limp body. I take in the blood on the grass by her. I see her _life_ slowly bleeding out. She has only about an hour left unless she gets medical attention. I laugh ruefully.

"You have gotten what you wanted. The careers are dead. I suppose you knew you would win these games. Seeing as I can't bring myself to kill you. I will just let you bleed out. I've thought through these whole Games that everyone else was the monster. However, us careers? We're bullies."

I chuckle again. "And then you. I thought I was a hero, swooping in to kill the villain, saving the day, that kind of stuff. Now I see I was being selfish. Did I once stop to see it from another's perspective? What about your perspective: You thought _you _were the hero. You were going to save the other tributes, by killing us first. You weren't as evil as I thought you were. I understand it now." It gets hard to finish because I am sobbing out the words. "You were scared. Others may mistake it for anger. I thought as a kid a robber would break into the house and steal our stuff. Because, robbers seemed bad. They were bad people. They would steal for fun. But most of them are scared. Fear drives people to do things, no one can fathom. Anger and fear cause violence. Anger and fear cause death."

I poured my soul into those words. I felt better, now that I let it all out. _Anger and fear cause death. _I stare at her closed lids. Her silky hair reflects the sunlight. She was 14. Her face shows that her family is well fed. She is beautiful. Her shoulder-length blonde hair is matted at the ends with blood. Her stunning sea-green eyes that remind me of Jason's are closed. Her lightly tanned skin is sprinkled with a handful of freckles. She has a bit of sunburn on her nose and a perfect complexion, minus the small splatter of acid that is forming a blister on her left cheek. Her muscular arms are bloody. I gag at the sight of her right arm. It is torn to ribbons. her bone is showing from her mid arm to elbow. I feel horrible, watching this girl bleed out. I could kill her, but for some unknown reason I want to help her. To nurse her back to life. Like when I was younger I found a moth with broken wings being attacked by a spider.

Flashback.

_I run to the house with my hands cupped. 12-year-old Galen is racing ahead of me. As I make it to the back porch I put the pale butterfly down. Its left wing is torn. Galen killed the spider that was going to eat it. I tell Galen to pick me some flowers. He finds bluebells. I set the bunch of flowers down by the butterfly's face. I see its long curly tongue come out as it sips the nectar. After about an hour of playing tag and climbing trees, Galen and me put it on a honey suckle bush. It might not survive, but my 7-year-old self didn't know that._

I took her pack of her back and realized I shouldn't wrap her wound. She has no skin left. She would be in horrible pain if she wakes up. I take a deep breath. I know what I have to do. The games are done. I pick up a sword and try to muffle my cries as I bring the sword down through her heart. _Boom! _I kneel down. What? I won? I was the monster. I killed the careers. I didn't deserve to win. But I won nonetheless.


	13. Chapter 13: The Recovery

Recovery

I felt weak. I collapsed the moment the hovercraft came down. I remember when the ladder came down. When I was frozen to the rung. I should've been carried out like all my friends from the games. I deserve to be dead. But somehow, fate wanted me alive. And I hate it for that.

I was in the remake center. Was it the remake center? Or a building that was similar? I have an IV trailing from my wrist to a bag on a metal pole by my bed. Most of my gashes were reduced to cuts. My bruises were yellow and blue. I don't feel _as _crappy. Key word being _as._ I still feel pretty crappy. I cringe. Memories are flooding through my head: The blood spurting out of Ava's chest. The sword through Lily's chest. They keep coming. More and more and more. They take over my head, some replaying. "Stop! Just… st-stop it." I cry. Tears are fogging my vision. I fall asleep with cruel memories taking over my vivid nightmares. As I wake up probably a few hours later a Capitol attendant walks in my glass cage-like room and offers a beverage to me. It's filled with orange juice. I guzzle it. The attendant watches with a smirk on his round face. I guess its plastered there. I stare at my face in the reflection in the glass. My once beautiful lively eyes stare back at me. They are the eyes of a madman. My once beautiful curled, shoulder- length, golden hair is matted and feels oily and nasty. My face is also oily. What have I become?

Hours later

I see Stella stare at me through the glass after we land. I sit up, and she walks away. _No! Don't leave me here! _I run forward and bang against the probably sound proof glass. I feel a needle jab me in the back and fall back to sleep.

When I wake again, I'm afraid to move. I'm tired of being poked, prodded, and in this case, stabbed an injected. The lights are yellowish and dim. The air smells like medicine. There are no doors or windows. My left arm has several tubes sticking out and extending to the wall behind my hospital bed. I am about to throw back the covers when I realize I'm naked. I cling to the sheets with my life. I run my right hand through my hair. I gasp. It's silky and straight. My nails are filed, my skin is scrubbed clean. My cuts are almost gone. I wrap my sheet around me and sit up, only to realize a restraining band is around my waist. I sit lie back down. Silently, the wall moves open to reveal A brunette Avox with a tray. I stare at the food. If I didn't have this band around my waist, I would've lunged for the food by now. She sets it on my thighs and puts the spoon in my hand. She squeezes my hand then smiles reassuringly. As she leaves, I turn to my feast of… A tiny bowl of clear broth, a miniscule portion of applesauce, and a glass of water? A stare at the food as my stomach growls. No, this can't be right. I start eating and I down the water, slowly slurp the broth. I look at the applesauce. I can't eat it. I throw the tray to the floor, since I can't gently put it down. Somewhere Stella and Brutus are preparing a banquet for my sponsors. Me and Jason's stylist are preparing a dress. I'm tired of not moving. I thrash around in my chair, _screaming "You can't do this!" And they can't. I won their stupid Games, so they_ should just let me go. I feel liquid start to seep through my veins from the bag and I loose consciousness yet again.

It seems to be a cycle. I wake, I eat the food the Avox brings me, I struggle, I get knocked out. My bruises are disappearing, and so are my scars. I spend most of my days feeling empty inside. I keep telling myself: _Jason is dead._ _Your fault. Lily is dead. Your fault. Zoe is dead. You should've kept her safe. Joshua's dead. You should've been smart and realized the truth. Chloe's dead. Should've watched out for them. Mason and Ava are dead. Your fault. _I think of Lily laughing, Jason smiling, and Chloe looking exasperated. I feel the familiar liquid and am enveloped in sleep.

I blink to get used to the dim lighting and sit up. No restraints. No tubes. I get up and flinch, expecting my muscles to be sore. They aren't. I rub my forehead, only to discover it is smooth as satin. My arms are basically glowing. I look at the outfit I'm suppost to wear to meet my team. It's the same outfit I wore in the Games. I get dressed and stand in front of the wall that opens up. What will meet me? When will I see my dad? Will he be out there, waiting for me; his warm smile directed at me, and his arms open wide? The wall automatically opens. I walk into a deserted hallway with no doors. I know that the walls slide open, just like mine. _What's in them?_ "Hello? Anyone here?" No response. "Amber!" I hear Stella's monotone voice and turn back to run to my room, but I don't know which one it is. Dread washes over me. I stand tall, with my head high as she approaches, but on the inside I'm like, _Crap!_ I look around and see Stella, Brutus, and Vydia. I forget the fact that I might not be allowed out of my room and take off towards them. _I am free from the games. _Part of me can't believe it. It feels like a weight was taken off my chest. Stella stands with her arms crossed, looking as if the games hadn't happened. I would hug her, but she would kill me or maim me. I smile, a large grin that takes over my face and feel the sense of friendship and family. A feeling that makes me forget how alone I am.

**The END! Now you get to wait for the sequel which contains the reuniting of family, the victory tour, And life as a victor. I know the book is short, but I can write more in the sequel this way. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites! The first chapter should be ready within a few (possibly several, with school)**


	14. NEW! Sneak-peak at book two!

**This is kind of a sneak-peak at the second book. I feel so bad about not writing it sooner, but you understand, right? With school in the way it might take longer. But I WILL NOT give up on this story :)**

I remember when I was young.

I remember when I didn't care about the games.

I remember (barely) when I had a loving mother and father.

And thanks to the games lots of new thoughts have been burned into my brain.

Thoughts of betrayal, thoughts of lost friends, and thoughts of death; things that will never be the same.

I will never train with Galen again nor will I ever have to endure silent, awkward breakfasts with my father again.

And it hurts me.

During the games, I almost fell in love with a boy named Jason. Almost. It took a year to realize it. Looking at Galen and his girlfriend, I am convinced what me and Jason had was nothing special. During the games I made allies, I made promises, I betrayed a friend, and in turn _was_ betrayed, and it stung. It took all this death and _failure _to realize how shallow we humans are. I will never again care if I look ugly. I don't care if I'm not fit. I don't care about what I have, even though I have everything. A part of me will always hurt.

_I was just a kid. Just a kid. Too young for all this. _

I will never again look in wonder at the world as the leaves change to cranberry and vibrant orange, or when a warm, summer breeze floats through the sharp, winter air. I will only gape in disgust at what humanity was done to this planet. Murdering used to be a crime, now it's a game. Something I will never understand. I murdered, almost was murdered, and I survived something less than 60 others have.

_ I am a survivor _


	15. AN, not a chapter sorry

**A/N **Sorry for giving up on this story, I just kinda lost my ideas. But after receiving a review recently I realized that I shouldn't give up. I have the first chapter for the sequel half way done, it has 502 words. Thank you all for reviewing and viewing! It's really inspiring to me!

**LINDSEY981092**


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